Dental Advice faq from Seattle Area Dentist

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I recently had a silver filling done on. This would be the third time that this filling had to be made slightly bigger, meaning it was the third time that this tooth was drilled. A few days later I was experiencing throbbing pain in that tooth. I went back to the dentist and they took another x-ray and he said that everything looked fine, but that based on the symptoms I was describing he wanted to drill again. I chose to wait and see if it would get better, because he said that was a possibility. I believe that I have very sensitive teeth to begin with and that the repeated drillings may have made the tooth hyper-sensitive. The dentist did prescribe antibiotics which I have been taking, but run out in a few days. Now, I'm not in any pain really, but I still do feel pain if I bite down on something semi-hard to hard. I'm concerned, because it's been 2 weeks since the restoration and I'm still feeling pain when biting down on something hard and a sensitivity to hot and cold. Could something be wrong with this tooth? Could it develop into something serious? Or is it possible that it just needs more time to heal.

Thank you for visiting us and your detailed question. You may indeed be experiencing some level of pulpitis, or inflammation of the pulp of the tooth. This actually can be quite common with filling, particularly as they get larger. Since you have only felt symptoms for two weeks, it may be too early to tell if your tooth is getting better. Unfortunately it can sometimes take a couple of months before such a tooth settles down. I hope this helps!